When a Confederate army threatened Pennsylvania in September 1862, the citizens of Pottsville jumped into action. They also felt the harsh hand of war.
Amid chaos surrounding the Battle of Antietam, Schuylkill County prepared for war
“Operations at Williamstown” – The first coal shipments from the mines of Williamstown hit markets in 1865
The Upper Dauphin Register describes the new town being constructed in Williams Valley in a September 1865 edition.
“Strike among the coal miners”- Labor unrest in Wiconisco Township during the Civil War
In the spring of 1863, a series of strikes among miners stopped all work in the anthracite coal mines of Wiconisco Township.
A Pennsylvania coal town expressed astonishment that it celebrated July 4th without violence in 1862
Wiconisco Township marked Independence Day 1862 with surprisingly peaceful demonstration.
A Pottsville Doctor Reports on the 96th Pennsylvania at the Battle of Gaines’ Mill
A Pottsville physician travels to the Peninsula to report on the experiences of the 96th Pennsylvania at Gaines' Mill.
Newspaper office in Lykens sent four young printers off to fight the Civil War in 1861
Four young men walked out of the offices of the Lykens Journal in 1861 to join the Union Army. Only one came back.
A Civil War officer described a rowdy party with his comrades… and found himself in a heap of trouble
The officers of the 96th Pennsylvania allegedly toasted George Washington's birthday during a raucous party in February 1862.
“Very Profitable and Productive”- Developing Williams Valley’s Anthracite Mines During the Civil War
Industrialist Henry Thomas worked with infamous Pennsylvania politicians to develop the coal trade in Williams Valley during the Civil War.
Corporal Keiser’s Christmas in the camp of the 96th Pennsylvania
In their newly constructed winter quarters in Arlington, Virginia, the 96th Pennsylvania celebrates its first Christmas at war in 1861.
Christmas 1861 – Robert Gould Shaw’s Holiday Letter From Frederick, Maryland
Robert Gould Shaw wrote this letter to his mother while sitting in his guard tent three miles east of Frederick, Maryland early on Christmas Day 1861.
Wynning History 